Potato-curing apparatus.



J. B. WELLS.

POTATO CURING APPARATUS.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

00 y na M d 8 LL n e t a P 4 Q E D D u N o H A w H DI A W 2 8 @U 3 5 Q Q 9 1 Atto rn eyg,

J. B. WELLS.

POTATO CURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4. I915.

Patented May 8, 1917 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" lnvetor;

Attorneys L y? /W w 1 J. B. WELLS.

POTATO cums APPARATUS.

APPLFCATION FILED DEC.4, I915- LQQSSQ Patented May 8, 1917.

621% Wifl? lnor Witnesses Attorneys. I

JAMES IBJWELLS, OF LONGVIEW, TEXAS.

POTATO-CURING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 12917.

Application filed December 4, 1915. Serial No. 65,086.

To a 'who'nzv it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Junie B. WELLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longview, in the county of Gregg and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Potato-Curing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in curing potatoes and for like purposes, one of the objects of the invention being to provide apparatus including bins for holding. the potatoes, the walls of the bins being so constructed as-to allow air to circulate freely around and through the bins, addi tional means being employed for admitting air to the'central portion of each bin so that, during the operation of the apparatus, warm or heated air will be free to circulate into contact with all portions of the contents of the 'bin and moisture will be free to rise from all portions of the contents.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this -character utilizing a heater which is means for forcibly removing the cool mois-v ture laden air in the bins.

Another object is to provide a structure by means of which the bins can be readily emptied.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the coinbination and arran ement of )arts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope "of What is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

. In the accompanying drawings the pre through one of the bins and the parts thereunder.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the Ventilator dampers. v

Fig. 5 is a side elevation .thereof.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a structure having'a partition 2 forming an upper chamber or compartment 3' below which are arranged aisles having rows of bins at the sides thereof, as indicated at 5. The floors of the bins, which have been indicated at (3, are inclined downwardly toward the aisles and are preferably formed of slats 7 resting on timbers S which, in turn, 'are mounted on bases 9. Thus air spaces are formed under the slats and extend under all of the bins. Those walls of the bins arranged along the sides of the aisles are formed of uprights 11 to which are connected slats 12. The lower slats of the aisle wall of each bin are connected together to form a hinged door 3 normally held in closed position by one or more bolts 14: extending through one of the fixed slats 12. These doors 1?? are adapted to swing outwardly so as to constitute aprons for directing the contents of the bins into the aisles.

Those walls of the bins remote from the aisles are so constructed as to allow air to circulate through them. For example, the walls which constitute the outer or sustaining walls of the structure 1 consist of outer and inner thicknesses 15 and 16 having insulating material 17 therebetween, such as burnt cork, sawdust or the like. To the inner thickness 16 is secured studding 18 having slats 19 attached thereto thus forming air spaces 20 extending throughout the height of the bins. Where two rows of bins are oppositely disposed and abut, as along the center of the structure 1, an imperforate its ---.- hranch ori distributing conduits tion will heatthe air admitted to the chamber 27 mounted in guides 28, springs 29 being connected to the dampers 27 for holding them normally shut. Cords 30 may be extended from the dampers or slides to points where they can be conveniently reached and actuated, thus to move the slides so as to partly or entirely expose the openings 26.

Extending upwardly from the chamber 3 and through the root of the structure 1 is an outlet flue 31 having a fan casing 3'2 at its lower end, the fan in said casing being driven in any suitable manner, as by means of a motor 33 and mechanism driven thereby. This fan is adapted to forcibly expel air from the chamber 3 thus to create a suction through the exposed openings 26 from the several bins in the structure.

Arranged outside of the structure 1 is another ucture 34 having a chamber 37. Within this chamber is arranged a heating apparatus which can be in the form of one or more stoves 38 or the like. Air admitted to the chamber 37 will be heated by the stove'and will ascend. Opening into the top of the chamber 37 is a flue 39 discharging into a conduit l0 containing afan adapted to be driven by a motor 41. This fan is designed to suck air from the chamber 37 downwardly through flue 39 and to force the air from this fiucinto distributing conduits 43'extending in opposite directions from the conduit 40 and under the rowsot' bins lxtending upwardly from each of the distributing conduits 43 are distributing nozzle; 4-4, one of these nozzles being located at the center of each bin and each nozzle being provided with minute apertures 45 through which heated air will escape into the bins. I

Arranged in the lower portion of each of the'nozzles 4A is a damper indicated gen orally at 46 and which may be actuated in any suitable manner, as by means of a rod 47. By means of these dampers the flow of air into and through the nozzles 44 may be controlled.

One or more windows 48 may be provided in the exterior walls of the structure 1 thus to admit light to the interior of the struc" ture.

In using the apparatus, the various doors 13 are closed and fastened, after which the bins, are partly or entirely filled with potatoes, it being understood that the slats 12 above the doors are removably mounted so that they can be successively placed in posias the bins are filled. The heaters 38 3'? and this heated air will rise to the charnher from which, it will be drawn by the fan lit-conduit 40 and forced to the several mcensot the dampers 4-6 the flow of heated I .r into the nozzles is controlled. Th..-

Wind air will'rise within the nozzles and 1 season be distributed through the openings 45, flowing in all directions and at different elevations into the potatoes piled around the nozzles. The heated air will rise within the bins and will also be free to circulate in the air spaces under the floor slats (l and within the walls of the bins so that all portions of the contents of the bins will thus be subjected to the action of the heated air. A constant ventilation can be set up from the various aisles through the tines 24- and a forced draft can be produced by means oi the fan in casing 32. \Vhen the dampers QT are partly or entirely opened, the fan in the casing 32 will create a suction upwardly through the openings 26 so that all moisture laden air can thus be withdrawn into the chamber 3 and then discharged to the flue 31.

Importance is attached to the fact that the heating a 'iparatus is located outside of the structure 1 as it is thus possible to obtain a uniform heat throughout the interior of the structure 1, something which would not be possible should the heating apparatus be located. in the structure.

By utilizing the centrally disposed noz zles in the bins, the heated air can be dis tributed evenly throughout the contents of the bins. By having the floors of the bins inclined downwardly toward the aisles when the gates 13 are opened, the contents of the 9 bins will be free to iiow the aisles where they can be easily reached for the purpose of ren'ioving them. During the discharge of the potatoes from the bins, the doors can act as aprons for guiding the potatoes onto the floprs of the aisles.

It is to be understood that although the slats forming the walls of the bins have been shown extended horizontally, they can, if preferred, be extended vertically. As this arrangement is so obvious, it is not deemed. necessary to illustrate it in detail.

What is claimed is 1. A potato curing apparatus, incl riding a housing structure inclosing a. plurality of bins and providing an upper chamber above said bins with means for exhausting air therefrom, each bin c'onn'nunicating with said chamber and having in its lower portion an upwardly extending air distributing nozzle, a distributing conduit -connecting with said nozzles, a damper to control the communication with each nozzle, and means whereby air at any desired temperature may be forced into said conduit. I

2. A potato curing apparatus, including a housing structure inclosing abins and providing a chamber extending over all of the bins, each bin being pro vided at its top with an air outlet opening in communication with the chamber, independently operated .means for controlling communication through said'openings, said chamber having means for exhausting air 'tl'ieret rom, an ibuting nozzle prodownwardly into plurality of eeeese jecting into the lower portion of each bin, heating means, means for conducting the heated air from said heating means to all of the nozzles, and indepenciently operated means for controlling the flow of heated air to the respective nozzles.

3. A potato curing apparatus, including a housing structure inciosing rows of bins and provithnga. chamber extending over all of the bins, said chamber having means for exhausting air therefrom, each bin being provided; at its top with a separately con-' trolled communication to said chamber, distributing conduits extending under the bins,

nozzles in communication with the conduits and extending into the lower portions of the respective bins, means for forcing heated air into the conduits, and independently operated means "for controlling the flow of heated air from the conduits to the re spective nozzles.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES B. *WELLS.

Witnesses REEY STRICKLAND,

V. R. HURsT. 

